”You see, the sun is so strong, and it's very powerful,” said illustrator Harry Bliss as he gave a lesson on sun protection and art to kids at Edmunds Elementary School in Burlington.

The event was the kick-off to the Health Department's sun safety coloring campaign, an effort to get kids across Vermont thinking about ways to protect themselves from the sun and in the long run, skin cancer.

“More and more we're realizing that a burn here and a burn there eventually, over time it'll accumulate and increases your risk for cancer,” said Tracy Dolan, deputy commissioner for the Vermont Department of Health.

The issue of sun protection is extremely important for the Green Mountain State, which has one of the highest melanoma rates in the country.

According to the Department of Health, nearly 35 per 100,000 men and 26 per 100,000 women in Vermont will be diagnosed with melanoma.

Those numbers significantly higher than the 28 and 18 per 100,000 nationally.

Doctors say one reason is the large number of fair skinned Vermonters.

“I also think there's a bit of a time lag in terms of protecting oneself. My kid has never had has never had a bad sunburn, whereas when I was a kid, we did have a bunch of sunburns, because we didn't know any better,” said Dr. Glenn Goldman, chief of dermatology at UVM Medical Center.

The Department of Health is trying to make sure these kids do know better, starting with a coloring contest, which stars Bliss's canine character Bailey.

The dog sits out on the beach, equipped with his sun screen and hat for shade.

Those are two things the state wants kids to adopt for themselves.

“Just making that part of the routine is probably even more important than whether or not the kids understand why, but recognizing it's just what I do before I go out every day,” said Dolan.

Despite the lessons on sun safety, health officials say they don’t want to make people afraid to enjoy being outside.

“One doesn't have to be a hermit, but it’s like everything else in life: be moderate and things go well,” said Goldman.

The winners of the contest will get a gift certificate to the Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne.